Depending on the poison,
you may induce vomiting with oral Hydrogen Peroxide. Do not
induce vomiting with any solvent or petroleum product. Read
the package label, and ask your vet first.

Transport as soon as
possible.

Trauma

Bleeding wounds—Wear
gloves. Use Kotex pads or other absorbent material to
staunch bleeding, can be held in place with tape, vet wrap
or ace bandage.

Fractures—Because these
can be very painful, always place a muzzle. Do not worry
about splinting or bandaging unless there is an open wound.
Dog should be carried, wrapped in a blanket if possible, and
transported as soon as possible.

Foxtails—Can be serious if
they migrate. Remove as soon as possible, may need surgery
and antibiotics

Toe nail bleeding—Kwik
stop or corn starch can be applied. Watch for biting.

Cats: Indoors, Outdoors or Somewhere in Between?

Cats love to
be outside. They sit in the sun, roll in and chew on the grass
and play Mighty Bug Hunter. But they’re not really equipped to
deal with all the situations they can encounter outside on their
own. Aggressive dogs, territorial raccoons, hungry coyotes and
cougars are more than most cats can handle. Contact with other
cats can expose them to diseases like feline leukemia or FIV,
which can be transmitted by bites. Upper respiratory infections
can be transmitted by close contact like face-to-face hissing,
sniffing or shared food and water dishes. Cars, bad-intentioned
humans and poisons like pesticides and spilled auto chemicals
are other dangers cats face outdoors.

There are
ways we can keep our cats safe outside. Many people find that
their cats take quite readily to leashes and harnesses. Always
attach leashes or tethers to a harness, not a collar--some cats
can pull out of their collars when on a leash and a cat can
strangle if the tether gets twisted around plants or furniture.

Whether
you’re building a yard yourself, or purchasing a commercial
system, here are a few things to consider:

Ease of
entry/exit for the cats and for you. Using a window is
handy because you can easily control your cats’ access in
either direction. A cat flap door can be installed in a
window or wall. A human-sized door lets you get in easily
to clean and get to the cats if needed.

Places
to snooze in the sun make the yard a place the cats want to
be. Your cat yard should have plenty of comfortable
sleeping spots. Perches and ramps are fun, too. Varying
heights and sizes keep things interesting. A nearby bird
feeder/bath provides hours of free “Kitty TV”.

Security—determined cats can dig, climb and tear their way
out of any enclosure that’s not built to last. Check for
screening that could be pushed out, edges that could be
torn, doors that don’t latch tightly and soft soil or sand
that could be scraped away by a busy paw.

Safety—double check that there are no sharp wires or nails
to poke your cat. Ramps should be rough textured so that
cats don’t slip, especially in the rain. (Yes, they will
go out in the rain…)

Click
images to enlarge

We use two
kinds of cat yards. One is a wood framed structure that sits
next to the house. The top and sides are covered with chicken
wire and there is a human-sized screen door so that we can get
in and play, too. It has perches and climbing ramps and the
cats get to it through a commercial cat flap/door installed in a
piece of plywood inserted into a window. It cost about $150 to
build and was installed in a weekend.

The other cat
yard is essentially our entire back yard. It has a 6’ wooden
fence around all sides, but the slats are wide enough apart for
a cat to squeeze through. To make it “cat proof”, we stapled a
4’ high length of chicken wire along the fence, with a curl of
the wire near the top so that they can’t jump or climb over.
It’s not the most attractive part of the landscaping, but it’s
secure and was very inexpensive. There are commercial versions
available, too.

These
websites offer ideas for building your own cat yard, as well as
selling kits or completely installed enclosures.

If you have
questions, or would like us to take a look at the cat-safety
issues at your home, just give us a call!

Flower
Essences for Pets:

Flower essences or remedies, as they are often called, are
over-the-counter products sometimes
used to reduce behaviors
displayed by animals (human and non-human) experiencing strong
emotional states. This sheet is designed as a very brief
introduction to flower essences and their use in animals. It is
very important to tell us about any medications, supplements or
remedies that you have been administering to your pet.

The most basic explanation of the concept is that on an
energetic level, everything on the planet vibrates at a
particular rate. The flower essences match specific plants with
specific emotional states. The remedies appear to help regulate
the emotions to a healthy balance.

Flower essences are made by soaking particular plants in
distilled water for a specified amount of time. Brandy is
usually added as a preservative and the mix is diluted back into
spring or distilled water before administering it to a patient.

The remedies appear to be completely safe and without negative
side effects. If the emotional imbalance doesn’t match that of
the essence, nothing happens. If the remedy is diluted
appropriately, there is very little chance of overdose. Remedies
are administered by mouth, in water or food, through the skin or
in an atomizer into the air.

We have successfully used flower essences to help our own pets
and often suggest their use as supportive therapy for patients.
Before treating with flower essences, it is important to make
careful observations about the animal’s behavior and habits.
Each essence corresponds to a specific set of characteristics.
We have found them most helpful in reducing behaviors caused by
anxiety, emotional trauma and issues relating to other animals
in a household. They may help ease an animal’s stress so that
conventional therapies are more effective.

Flower essences are available locally in health food stores,
some pet supply shops and grocery stores. There are numerous
on-line resources.

There are several very informative websites and books about
flower essences available. We strongly suggest that you do some
research on your own if you’re interested in these remedies.
Here are some resources to get you started: